That ambition is largely unbridled - Roberts resorts to all kinds of underhanded tricks to win election. At the very least, I can recall (spoiler alert!) faking an assassination attempt (and paralysis), slander, libel, and violence.

Robbins not only starred in the film, he also directed and wrote it, and composed the right-wing folk songs Roberts sings. Worried that the songs would lose their meaning and could be used to promote far-right views outside the context of the movie, Robbins refused to release a soundtrack album, even though the songs are inspired, to say the least.

It is of a small footnote that the name "Bob Roberts" in some circles has become synonymous with the everyman, on a much lesser scale than the ubiquitous John Q. Public and the like, but on the same scale nonetheless.

This is almost undoubtledly because of the double repitition of the 'most generic of english names 'bob'. Which is something that the titular movie was going for.